


A Night Out: Sycamore x Reader: Pokemon XYZ (Anime)

by fox_it2me



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: X & Y | Pokemon X & Y Versions
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-07
Updated: 2017-02-16
Packaged: 2018-09-15 10:17:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9230537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fox_it2me/pseuds/fox_it2me
Summary: Professor Sycamore finally admits his affections toward his amazing assistant, [name], when she suddenly goes missing. In the midst of trying to find her, Lysandre unleashes his plans to recreate the world through destruction.





	1. Chapter 1

Warning: Pokemon XY&Z anime spoilers! The events of this story take place during the final events of the Lysandre’s attack. 

Professor Sycamore ran a hand through his messy black hair and sighed heavily. It had been a rather long day in the lab, and he thought he might retire early for the night.  
Heading down the hallway he passed by the occasional research room, only to stop before one. Glancing through the observation window, he couldn’t help but smile at seeing the familiar h/c haired woman hard at work. She was moving quickly around the lab, still working on the tests on the Mega Evolution stones, as she had since this morning.  
Professor Sycamore sighed, admiring the determined look on your face, your e/c eyes shimmering with conviction. 

Yes, he had definitely made an excellent choice in hiring you on as his assistant. At first, he thought you wouldn’t accept his offer. You were one, if not the strongest Pokemon trainer in the league, surely you wouldn’t want to spend your time cooped up in some lab?  
But thankfully for him, your passion lied with Pokemon biology. The care, and the study of these magnificent creatures had pulled you in, and you gratefully accepted the Professor’s offer.  
Over the time you had been working, the Kalosian man couldn’t help but feel a strong connection, a connection that he now recognized as a burgeoning affection toward you.  
But he was never good at this, the whole romance thing. His passion for Pokemon had never left him time to be interested in his love life.  
Yet there was something about you that he couldn’t seem to let go. But what was he to do? 

“You make it so obvious, Professor.”  
“Ahhh!” Professor Sycamore jumped at the sound of someone standing behind him, only to see his giggling assistant Sophie.  
“Sophie!” He scolded, “Don’t scare me like that!”  
He stood up straight and flattened out his shirt, trying to regain his composure.  
The blue-haired assistant covered her mouth to hide her giggling.  
“I’m sorry sir,” she replied, but raised an eyebrow at seeing the Professor’s attention already turned back to the window.  
She observed him observing you working for a moment, smiling softly at the unmasked adoration in the man’s eyes. Sophie had never seen him quite like this.

“You should ask her out,” she said softly.  
Professor Sycamore turned and stared at her wide-eyed.  
“You think so? I mean–” he stopped, catching himself. “Sophie, what do you mean?”  
The assistant rolled her eyes. He was so obvious it was cute.  
She placed a hand on his shoulder.  
“Ask her to dinner. I know she’d say yes.”  
With that, she continued her path down the hall and into an adjoining research room.

 

The Professor considered her words a moment, not able to contain his smile at the thought of taking you out. A night…of just the two of you…  
He sighed dreamily, then took a deep breath, making his decision.

*** 

You had been hard at work all day on your study of Mega Evolution stones when you heard a soft knock on the door.  
“Come in!” you called without looking away from your clipboard.  
The door clicked open and you finished scrawling the last note down before turned around.  
Your breath caught at the sight of the gorgeous Kalosian man standing there. He had his hands casually in his lab coat pockets, and his hair seemed more disheveled than usual, but this only added to your attraction to him.  
“Hello Augustine,” you said with a smile.  
Professor Sycamore smiled back. You were the only one in the laboratory that called him by his first name. For anyone else, he’d prefer they call him ‘Professor,’ but you had always played by your own rules, and he wouldn’t want it any other way.  
“Hello [name]. How’s the research coming?” He took a step into the room to glance at what you had been working on.  
“Excellent. I think I almost have a cohesive, formulaic understanding of the Garchompite Mega Stone!”  
Your eyes glimmered with passion, and the Professor couldn’t help but feel butterflies in his stomach when he saw them. 

He continued staring when he suddenly realized you were speaking.  
“Err–what was that?” he stammered, feeling himself blush.  
You laughed softly at his absent-mindedness.  
“I asked if there was anything you needed from me.”  
“Ah, right,” Professor Sycamore grinned wryly and put a hand behind his head sheepishly. He cleared his throat. “I was thinking [name]…you don’t get out of this lab too often, do you?”  
You looked at him curiously.  
“No…I suppose not…” you said slowly.  
The Professor grinned.  
“Well then, how about you say we go out – er – I mean, we, uh, go get dinner? – um – I don’t mean that – huh?”  
He stopped speaking when he noticed you laughing. You held your hand up to your mouth to cover, but that didn’t hide the laughter he could see in your eyes.  
You calmed yourself down, and smiled sweetly at the Kalosian man.  
“Dinner tomorrow sounds wonderful, Augustine.”  
Professor Sycamore didn’t react for a moment, then broke into a wide smile.  
“Tres bien! Tres bien!” he cheered, and you couldn’t help but giggle at his happiness.

“Shall I help you close up for the night?” he asked.  
You thought about taking him up on the offer, when you noticed the dark circles under his eyes. They had always been there – the Professor always worked himself until exhaustion – but they appeared much darker than usual tonight, and the more you stared, the more you realized how tired he looked.  
“I can close tonight,” you replied, “You just get some sleep.”  
Professor Sycamore opened his mouth to protest, but turned into a yawn. He chuckled lightly to himself.  
“I suppose that’s a good idea. Very well.”  
He took a step back and bowed his head a bit, a strand of his dark locks sweeping in front of his eyes, which he brushed aside casually.  
“I will see you tomorrow evening, Mademoiselle.”  
You nodded.  
“Sleep well, Augustine.”

After he closed the door behind him, you let out a small squeal of excitement, your heart bursting with happiness.  
After all this time, Professor Augustine Sycamore finally asked you out. You had been hoping he would for some time now, but felt it were out of your professional sphere to initiate any romantic gestures. You were his assistant, after all.  
As you cleaned your work space, your thoughts wandered off to the Kalosian man. You couldn’t recall when it happened, but it hadn’t take long for you to fall for the passionate and dreamy professor. After working with him side by side for so long, he only fueled your desire for him through his kind demeanor and determined attitude when it came to research.

You sighed into a smile, gathering your papers before turning off the lights and locking the research room behind you.  
Heading toward the front door to close up, you suddenly frowned. A woman was in the front entrance, donned in a bright orange suit and dark sunglasses. She stood tall with arms behind her back, hardly moving a muscle.  
“I’m sorry ma’am, but we’re closed,” you said, cautiously moving your way into the room.  
You were met with no reaction whatsoever.  
“Excuse me ma’am,” you tried again, taking another step closer. “We’re clo – ahhh!”

You shouted as pair of gloved hands suddenly grabbed you from behind, but your cries were quickly muffled as a damp cloth was pressed onto your face.  
Inhaling the fumes, you recognized it as chloroform and almost instantly felt your vision start to blur. You felt yourself begin to fall, your whole body going limp, and were slowly lowered onto the ground.  
The cloth was removed from your mouth, and you tried desperately to keep your eyes open.  
“Augus…Augustine…” you murmured, almost inaudibly.  
The woman standing before you finally moved, walking over to your side until she towered over your body.  
“Hello Ms. [name], you have something our boss wants.”  
You barely heard what she said however, because soon after you were pulled into a deep, dark sleep.

*****

“Professor, where have you been??”  
Cosette stared in shock as the man entered the laboratory, drenched from the rain. He was visibly shivering and didn’t acknowledge his assistant, apparently deep in thought. He took a seat on the nearest bench, and stared absentmindedly at the floor.  
The petite red-head ran out, then returned with a blanket, which she draped around the soaked Professor.  
“Thank you Cosette,” he mumbled vaguely.  
She took a seat beside him.  
“Professor…” she said, not masking the anxiety in her voice, “You’ve been gone since this morning. Where were you?”  
The man continued staring off into space.  
“I had a lead…it seemed like a good one…”

Cosette frowned.  
“Professor, you can’t keep doing this…it’s been weeks. You need to take better care of yourself.”  
She was right. The dark circles under his eyes were more pronounced than ever, and he had clearly lost weight from not eating enough.  
He sighed and closed his eyes.  
“I can’t sleep Cosette,” he said heavily, “I can’t eat, I can’t…do anything. Not until I find [name].” 

The girl bit her lip.  
“Sir, we’ve talked about this. She wasn’t kidnapped. She left –”  
“She wouldn’t just leave!” Professor Sycamore suddenly snapped, turning to face his assistant.  
She recoiled a moment, then recovered.  
“Sir, you saw the evidence! Her room was packed, she left a note–”  
“The note was fake!” he roared, now standing until her towered over his assistant.  
Cosette’s eyes grew wide. She had never seen him so angry.  
Seeming to realize his outburst, the Professor paused a moment to breath, and his gaze returned to the floor. When he spoke, his voice came out much calmer and quieter.  
“I know [name], Cosette. I don’t care about a note saying she ‘realized being a trainer was her true passion,’ she still wouldn’t just leave like that.”  
He ran a hand through his wet hair and sighed again.

“Okay fine,” Cosette finally said gently. “But why would someone want to kidnap [name]?”  
Professor Sycamore sat back down and began wringing his hands absentmindedly as he spoke.  
“For one of the same reasons I asked [name] to come work here. There exists a rare type of Mega Evolution that doesn’t require the use of a Mega Stone.”  
Cosette’s eyes grew wide.  
“I’ve never heard of that before!”  
The Professor nodded.  
“Like I said, it’s rare. Extremely rare. This evolution can only occur from the closest of bonds between Pokemon and trainer, and even then only some Pokemon are capable. There are only two known Pokemon-trainer duos capable of this evolution in the world right now – Ash Ketchum and his Greninja, and [name] and her Garchomp.”  
He leaned back now, staring up at the sky through the buildings glass ceiling. The rain continued to fall heavily, leaving steaks of raindrops sliding down the glass in smooth movements.  
“I’m sure that’s why they took her.”

Professor Sycamore now stood up and started toward the stairs.  
“I’ll be in my room if anyone needs me.”  
Cosette watched sadly as the Professor slowly made his way up the stairs, head hung low and with a heavy heart.


	2. Chapter 2

About a week later, Sophie knocked softly on the Professor’s office door in the late morning.  
“Professor?” she called, “It’s Sophie, may I come in?”  
“Enter.”  
The woman stepped into the office to find the Kalosian man at his desk, filling out some paperwork. His appearance was about the same as last week, but at least it hadn’t gotten worse.  
“What is it Sophie?” the man asked, not looking up.  
“Sir, the Kalos League Tournament starts this afternoon, and you’ve been asked to make an appearance.”  
The Professor stopped his writing and looked up. Was it really already here? It seemed like it was still weeks to go until the tournament came around.  
“Alain will be competing, right?” he asked, recalling his past assistant.  
Sophie nodded.  
“Yes sir, I believe so, as well as Ash Ketchum.”  
The Professor was silent for a moment, staring out his window. Then, he turned around, and offered Sophie a wry smile – something that had been a rarity lately.  
“Very good. I’ll head out in a bit.”

***

Augustine clapped loudly along with the rest of the crowd as he watched Alain accept the golden trophy. It had truly been the match of the year to see—Ash vs. Alain for the title of Kalos League Champion. Both boys and their Pokemon had fought well, but it was the Professor’s former assistant that came out triumphant.  
As Alain raised the trophy in victory, the Professor felt himself smile—truly smile—for the first time since…since you had said yes to his date.  
That was almost a month ago now.  
Of course, he couldn’t help but feel slightly guilty. It was difficult for him to feel anything but anguish and sadness since you had disappeared, but still, moments like these were meant to be cherished.

It was at that moment that a loud crash could be heard outside the stadium. The crowd’s jubilent cheering suddenly shifted to confused murmurs, then to screaming.  
Professor Sycamore’s mouth opened in shock as the large vines began creeping their way into the stadium.  
“Wha-” he muttered, mostly to himself, “What are those things?!”

***

The hallways of the laboratory seemed like an endless labrynth. The Professor, along with Mairin and Serena, turned corner after corner, only to find another indistiguishable path.  
Everything was happening so quickly—only a few short hours ago, he had been standing in the Kalos League Stadium, cheering Alain on in his victory, and now he was racing to save Mairin’s Pokemon, Chespie.  
All under Lysandre’s threat to destroy the world.  
Augustine grit his teeth as the three turned yet another corner, still finding no signs of the right room. Just the thought of Lysandre’s twisted ideals—going on about creating beauty when he was doing nothing but terrible, terrible destruction—was enough to make him angry.  
He had no idea what became of Alain and Ash either. They had been seperated after the stadium was attacked, and the Professor had gotten distracted since then.  
His mind then turned to you, and his forehead creased in worry. Where were you in all of this chaos? Were you safe? Where you _alive_?  
He shook his head, taking a deep breath as he continued running down the hallways. He couldn’t think like that. He had to have hope. He would find you, safe and sound.

“Professor!”

The Kalosian man snapped out of his thoughts at the sound of Mairin’s voice. She was pointing at a door at the end of the hall they were currently running down.  
“What is it, Mairin?” he huffed.  
“Chespie’s in there! I’m sure of it!”  
He nodded, not doubting her intuition for a second. The bond between a Pokemon and their trainer was often inexplicable, but was not something to mess with.

Just as they were about to reach the door, three shadowy figures emerged from the adjoining wings.  
The Professor, Mairin, and Serena stopped in their tracks as three Team Flare grunts stepped into the light.  
“Well, well, well…” one of them taunted, a sinister smirk on her face. “If it isn’t the Professor and the little brats.”  
“Why are you guys doing this!?” Serena yelled, her fists clenched tightly at her side. “Why are you trying to destroy the world!?”  
“Hmph,” one of the other grunts snorted in amusement, “This world _needs_ to be destroyed. Without its destruction, there’s no way for it to ever be beautiful again. Lysandre knows this, and we’re simply believing in his vision of a better tomorrow.”  
“You’re crazy!” the Professor shouted, eyes gleaming with anger.

The woman paused a moment to consider Sycamore, then smiled even wider.  
“My, my,” she cooed, placing a hand to her hip casually. “If it isn’t our very own Pokemon Professor. I was hoping I would get to meet you someday.”  
The Kalosian man narrowed his eyes.  
“Oh, and why is that?” he hissed in a low voice.  
The Team Flare grunt giggled sinisterly.  
“After hearing so much about you from your _darling_ little _girlfriend_ , I’ve just been dying to meet this Professor Augustine Sycamore that would come to her rescue.”

Professor Sycamore’s eyes widened in shock at her words, only causing her to laugh even more. His heart began to race as he took in what she said, and he clenched his fists even tighter, feeling an anger he had never experienced before now begin to build inside of him.  
“What did you do to her!!?” he roared, causing Serena and Mairin to look at him in surprise at his raised voice.

The grunt waved a dismissive hand.  
“We just helped her realize her _true_ calling for this world, that’s all.”  
Augustine grit his teeth, staring at this woman with a feeling he couldn’t quite describe. Wait, no…he had heard of this feeling before, although he had never experienced it until now. It was hatred.  
“IF YOU LAY A SINGLE HAND ON HER—”  
“Oh, my dear Professor,” she murmured, that disgusting smile still plastered on her face. “I would never do anything to hurt Team Flare’s best worker.”  
Professor Sycamore breathed deeply, trying to keep himself as calm as possible as his anger threatened to overcome him. He had to stay level, he still had Mairin and Serena to worry about.  
“What are you talking about?” he said quietly, not taking his eyes off the woman.  
“I’m saying that little assistant of yours is now working for us,” she said in an almost bored tone. “Sorry, but she’s much too powerful to just coop up in a lab all day.”  
“Liar!” the Professor yelled, “[name] would never work for people like you!”

The Team Flare grunt sighed.  
“Believe whatever you want, but you’ll probably run into her sooner or later.”  
She smirked again, reaching for her belt for what appeared to be a Poke Ball.  
“That is…if we don’t kill you first!”  
At that second, three Houndooms appeared from the Team Flare grunts, each of them snarling and ready to attack.

Serena suddenly whipped out her hand, releasing three Poke Balls containing Sylveon, Pancham, and Braxien.  
“Professor!” the small girl yelled, not taking her eyes off the enemies. “Take Mairin and go get Chespie! I can handle this!”  
Professor Sycamore stared at her in concern.  
“Serena, are you sure—”  
“Just go!”  
He contemplated her for a moment longer, before nodding to Mairin and taking off down the hallway.

The two of them took a roundabout way to avoid the battle, and reached the doorway Mairin had pointed to.  
The Professor opened the door and Mairin ran inside.  
“Chespie!” she exclaimed, and ran to the small Pokemon laying on a bed on the opposite side of the room.  
“Chespie…” she said, much more quietly as she noticed the comatose state her Chespin was in.  
“It’ll be alright,” the Professor said assuringly, scooping the Pokemon up in his arms, “But we need to hurry and get out of here.”  
Mairin stared wide-eyed at her Chespie for a moment before nodding, face set with determination.

They exited the room to find Serena still battling the Team Flare members, her Pokemon fighting with all their might.  
“There’s just so many of them…” she murmured, feeling a bead of sweat run down her forehead.  
Suddenly, the grunts and their Houndooms were covered in a glowing light, and began to lift off the ground.  
“Huh?” Serena watched in amazement as they were then tossed through the air into the wall with a crash, landing in a heap that remained unmoving.

“Did I make it in time?” called a voice from behind her.  
Serena turned around to see a young, icy-blue haired man strolling toward her, Metagross at his side.  
“Steven!” she cheered, her face breaking into a wide grin at the sight of her friend. “Thanks a lot!”  
He grinned, giving her a thumbs-up and a wink in response.

The Professor and Mairin caught up to the two trainers.  
“We need to find where they’re keeping that giant rock!” the Professor said evenly, remembering the other reason they came to Lysandre’s lab.   
“Right,” Steven nodded, “Lead the way.”

“Leaving so soon?”

Every hair on Professor Sycamore’s back stood on end at the sound of voice behind him. It came as a sweet melody to his ears, the familiar sound of her voice.  
_It can’t be…_  
He turned around slowly and almost dropped the Chespin in his arms from the shock of the most beautiful sight he had ever seen.  
Garchomp by her side, stood the h/c haired, e/c eyed woman he had so dearly missed.

“[name]…” he breathed, hardly daring to believe what he saw, and took a step forward.  
But there was no doubt about it, it was you. The Professor broke into a wide smile, feeling as if he might cry from happiness. But as he continued his way down the hall to meet you, something felt off.  
You didn’t seem to have the same reaction. Instead of coming to meet you, you remained standing at the end of the hall, unmoving, with the slightest trace of a smile on your face.

“[name],” the Professor said quietly, slowing his steps. “It’s me, Augustine.” His voice sounded weak and strained as he continued observing you standing there.

 

Your smile widened across your face as you shifted your weight to face him full-on.  
“Hello, Augustine,” you said softly.  
The Professor frowned. Something was definitely off. That was your voice, yes, but it lacked its usual warm tone and kindness.  
He didn’t have time to think however, because suddenly you pointed right at him and shouted a command.

“Garchomp, use Dragon Claw!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, it's taking me a bit longer to work since I'm in school now, but I have this whole story plotted out. Six parts I believe! Let me know what you think!! :)


	3. Chapter 3

Professor Sycamore didn’t have time to react as your Garchomp came lunging at him. He stood there, frozen in shock at what was happening.

He looked away just as the Garchomp’s claws were almost upon him, holding the Chespin in his arms close to his chest for protection.

Just when he thought the attack would hit, he heard a small collision.

Opening his eyes, he was shocked to find Serena’s Pancham on the ground, knocked unconscious. It had thrown itself in front of Garchomp to save the Professor.

“I’m so proud of you, Pancham!” said Serena as she returned the Pokemon to its ball.

 

“Your heroics won’t get you anywhere, stupid girl,” you called, rolling your eyes.

“[name]!” the Professor yelled, forehead creased in worry, “What are you doing?”

You now turned your attention to the dark-haired man, and his heart nearly stopped at the malicious look you gave him.

“I’m trying to stop you from ruining our plans!” you hissed.

He frowned, still incredibly confused.

“ _Our_ plans?? What do you—”

 

He stopped mid-sentence, suddenly noticing something. Around your neck was a necklace—no—a _collar_. It was emitting a soft red light, and it appeared that your Garchomp had one on as well.

Was that what he thought it was?

Yes, it was without a doubt one of those mind control devices. Team Rocket had tried to use it on his very own Garchomp not long ago.

He grimaced, and then turned to Mairin, handing her the Pokemon.

“You keep Chespie safe, Mairin,” he said calmly, then looked to Serena and Steven. “Don’t try to help me. I can handle this on my own.”

“But Professor!” Serena yelled, visibly worried.

“Don’t worry about me, Serena,” he said with a small smile, “I know the real [name] is still in there.”

 

With that, he turned back to face you, who was standing with arms crossed looking rather bored. Pulling out his only Poke Ball, he released his Garchomp, so it stood face-to-face with yours.

“Garchomp, I need you to keep [name]’s Garchomp distracted, but don’t hurt it,” he instructed.

“Garrr,” it growled in response, indicating it understood.

“And here I was getting excited for a real Pokemon battle, Augustine,” you called from down the hall. “Don’t go all soft on me now.”

Professor Sycamore stood with fists clenched, a determined look on his face.

“Only the real [name] calls me ‘Augustine,’” he said in a low voice, “And you’re not her.”

You grit your teeth, staring at him through narrowed eyes.

A second later, your Garchomp suddenly lunged again. It did this without any verbal commands on your behalf – a skill that you possessed through your strong bond with your Pokemon.

This time however, Professor Sycamore’s Garchomp stood to defend him, and the two dragons became locked in a struggle to attack the other. This left you open for him to start walking toward you.

 

“[name],” he said, his voice quiet and pleading. “I know you’re in there. Please, come back to me.”

You snorted in derision.

“That’s gotta be the sappiest thing I’ve ever heard. I work for Team Flare now.”

The Professor didn’t stop walking, moving forward with even more resolve.

“Don’t you want to come back to my lab? To work with all the Pokemon you love so much? We’ve all missed you so much, [name].”

Your body shifted to a more defensive pose, and Professor Sycamore thought you looked like you were struggling to keep your composure.

“You…you’re insane if you think I’ll come ba—AH!”

Red sparks suddenly came out of the collar around your neck, and you grabbed at it frantically as it shocked your entire body. Squeezing your eyes shut, your face contorted in agony from the pain and you struggled to stay balanced on your feet until you slumped against the wall for support.

“[name]!” The Professor yelled. The sounds of your screams felt like stabs to his heart as he started running to where you stood.

“Stay away!” you snarled, only to have your body seize up as another jolt of electricity shot through you. Unable to support yourself any longer, you collapsed to the ground on your knees, still pulling desperately at the collar.

 

Professor Sycamore arrived at your side and knelt next to you, despite your weakened attempts to back away from him. He held you by the shoulders, terrified at how much you were shaking.

“[name]…” His voice cracked, unable to keep it even, but he didn’t care.

You were starting to fade, your eyelids beginning to droop, until you finally slumped into his arms, body still trembling.

“[name]! No! Stay with me!” he croaked, placing hands firmly under your neck, running his fingers through your h/l, h/c hair. He couldn’t lose you…not here…not like this…

 

“Don’t move, Professor!”

The Kalosian man suddenly looked back at the sound of Serena’s voice. She was running full speed at the two of you, her Sylveon right beside her.

“Sylveon, use swift on that collar!” she yelled, pointing straight at you.

Before the Professor had time to react, the pink Pokemon sent a bullet of stars right in his direction.

He heard the sound of the metal being struck, and looked back down at you. The collar seemed to break apart right before his eyes, and he removed it the rest of the way, throwing it on the ground.

 

Brushing a stray strand of hair out of your face, he lowered his head to your mouth, and sighed in relief at the sound of your breath returning to normal. You still looked frighteningly pale though, and he pulled you closer to his chest.

He looked back up at Serena.

“Thank you,” he said earnestly, “Now can you do that to her Garchomp’s collar too?”

The young girl nodded and turned her attention to the two Garchomps still locked in combat.

“Garchomp, return!” the Professor said, pulling out his Poke Ball.

“Sylveon, use swift!” Serena commanded, and the small Pokemon sent out another stream of stars. It struck the collar around your Garchomps neck, and the metal device fell to the floor with a clang as well.

 

Professor Sycamore took a few deep breaths, trying to wrap his head around everything that just happened when he heard you cough.

“[name]!” he gasped, and turned to look at you as you continued coughing. Lifting you up a bit, he stared at you in concern until you managed to regain your composure.

Slowly, your eyelids fluttered open, revealing tired, but beautifully sparkling eyes. You gazed up at Professor Sycamore, your head resting against his chest, and felt yourself relax to the soothing sound of his heart beat.

“Augustine…” you said quietly, your voice coming out in a strained whisper.

“Shh,” he hushed, feeling himself close to tears in happiness at hearing your voice—your real voice—for the first time in what seemed like forever.

 

He glanced back up at Steven, Mairin, and Serena, who were watching the current scene unfold with identically tearful expressions.

“You three, go look for that giant rock Lysandre’s been studying,” The Professor said, “We’ll catch up later.”

“You got it,” Steven grinned, and the three of them took off in the opposite direction.

“Take care of [name] Professor!” Serena called over her shoulder, and Sycamore nodded assuringly in response.

 

He turned back to you once they were around the corner, and caringly ran his thumb lightly across your cheek.

The faint smile that had been on your lips now suddenly disappeared as you began looking around you, noticing your Garchomp and the collars laying on the floor.

Professor Sycamore’s face turned anxious as he saw tears began to well up in your eyes and you burrowed your face into his dark blue shirt. You started to sob softly, your body trembling again, and he rubbed your back reassuredly.

“It’s okay [name]. You’re free now. I won’t let anything happen to you again,” he tightened his hold on you, and you now wrapped your arms around his waist in a hug.

“Th-they m-ma-made…m-m-me…” you stammered, unable to speak in between sobs.

Professor Sycamore hushed you again, stroking your soft h/c hair, allowing you to continue crying for several minutes against his side.

 

He had never expected this would be how the two of you would reunite, and he wasn’t sure if his heart could take all this pain—both physical and emotional—that you were experiencing. As he held your shaking figure however, the Kalosian man still felt an immense feeling of relief. You were here, in his arms, and you would be alright.

It was all he could ask for.

As your breathing started to calm down again, you sat up, your strength beginning to return. Eyes puffy and tired, you couldn’t find it in yourself to look the Professor in the eyes as you spoke in a low murmur.

“They…made me do such terrible things,” you said slowly. “I hurt so many Pokemon and their trainers.”You closed your eyes and shook your head. “I tried so hard to fight it Augustine…I really did. But…but…it just…” Your voice trailed off, and you nuzzled against him. “I told them you would come save me, Augustine,” you said softly into his chest, feeling safe with his arms wrapped around you.

Professor Sycamore hoped you couldn’t hear how fast his heart was beating.

“I never stopped looking for you,” he said as he gently moved another strand of hair out of your face, and you smiled warmly in return.

The Professor was having a difficult time sorting out all the emotions he was experiencing at once right now, but one thing was clear to him as he stared into your eyes.

He was now madly in love with you.

 

He didn’t have time to savor the moment however, because you suddenly started pushing yourself up, trying to stand.

“[name], wait, be careful…” the Kalosian man said cautiously, holding you firmly around the waist as you got onto your feet. You were still quite shaky, and required much of his support to even stand. Professor Sycamore grabbed your hand gently, and wrapped your arm around his shoulders, and began helping you slowly make your way to the Pokemon down the hallway.

“Garchomp,” you said, voice still weak, but growing stronger, “Hey boy, come here.”

The dragon-type Pokemon turned its head and slowly started walking toward you. Letting go of Professor Sycamore, you reached out and hugged it around its giant snout.

Rubbing it gently, you could hear it almost purr in contentedness.

“I’m so sorry buddy,” you said softly, “I’m sorry you got dragged into this too.”

“Garrrrchomp,” it replied, nuzzling affectionately into you a bit as well.

You giggled, then looked back at the Professor.

 

“We need to find Mairin’s Chespie and get out of here.”

The Professor looked at you in confusion.

“I thought we needed to deactivate that giant rock first.”

You shook your head, and held out an arm, indicating for Professor Sycamore to help you stand again.

“The rock will be fine, Chespie is the one we need to get.”

You slung an arm around his shoulder as he grasped your waist. The look on his face still baffled you. Why did he seem so confused?

“[name], the other three…Steven, Mairin, and Serena…all went to find the rock,” he finally revealed, his voice quiet with anxiety. “I thought you knew that.”

You shook your head.

“No, I think I was still a little out of it when they left,” you said, now understanding his concern. “They’ll be fine though, as long as they didn’t bring Chespie with them.”

Professor Sycamore gasped, and your eyes widened in horror.

“They…they didn’t take Chespie with them, did they Augustine?” you said slowly, although you already knew the answer from the look on his face.

“[name], what’s going to happen if they find it?” The Professor asked, unmasked worry in his voice.

You bit your lip, heart beginning to race.

“Lysandre’s been using Chespie for its Mega Evolution energy,” you said quietly. “If it comes in contact with the giant rock…the rock will absorb Chespie for that energy. It was his backup plan if Zygarde didn’t cooperate.”

 

The Professors eyes grew wide at the thought of this.

“We need to find them! Before it’s too—”

He stopped mid-sentence as a large vibration rumbled throughout the lab. His grip around you tightened as the floor below you shook.

The Kalosian man looked down at you, a sinking feeling coming to him at the look in your eyes.

“It’s too late,” you whispered, “This whole place is going to crumble.”

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

The Professor stared at you in shock.

“What do you mean the place is going to crumble? What just happened?”

You didn’t answer him immediately, but instead tried to make your way down the hall, forcing him to come along beside you. The ceiling was starting to deteriorate as chunks of dust and debris began falling through, and you could tell it would collapse any second now.

“That giant rock must’ve found a power source, and now its going to grow, destroying this surrounding building,” you finally answered, as you stopped before a particularly large crack in the ceiling.

Before Professor Sycamore could ask any more questions, you turned to your Garchomp and shouted a command.

“Garchomp, use Dragon Rage on that crack in the ceiling!”

 

The Garchomp roared obediantly, and released a blast right above, clearing a hole straight through the roof. Bits of debris fell onto the ground around you.

“We need to get out of here!” you said, your voice forced into a higher volume on account of the loud sounds of the building falling apart.

Professor Sycamore still looked a little confused, and very concerned.

“What about the children? And Steven?” he asked, looking over his shoulder wildly to where Mairin, Serena, and Steven had left earlier, only to witness a large boulder crash into the path. He flinched slightly, and covered you with his body as dust from the boulder’s collision whipped down the hallway.

“There’s no time.” you said, feeling incredibly worn-out at that moment, “Steven has his Metagross…they’ll be fine.” _‘I hope…’_ you thought grimly.

 

Professor Sycamore contemplated your words for a moment before finally nodding in agreement. Taking a look at your appearance, it was clear you were in no shape for a rescue mission right now anyway. He would just have to hope the others would be okay.

Your Garchomp bent over, and the two of you climbed on carefully. Once you were safely holding on, you patted the Pokemon’s back and instructed it.

“Garchomp, take us out of here!”

The dragon roared, and lifted the three of you into the air in a powerful push. You hung on tightly as the air whipped all around you, but only just managed to keep your grip because of Professor Sycamore placing his hands over yours for extra security. You could feel him tense under the strain of keeping both you and himself secured on the Pokemon, and were slightly surprised at how strong the Professor was.

Garchomp flew high enough to make it well over the crumbling building before beginning his decent. As you looked below, your eyes widened at what was left of the structure.

Most of it was completely destroyed, if not severely damaged, and right in the middle of the laboratory was a ginormous, glowing, red rock. Coming out of it were massive, black vines that twisted in every direction, threatening to attack anything and anyone who got near it.

 

You landed shortly after on a patch of grass, and Professor Sycamore helped lay you down gently.

The two of you scanned the wreckage silently.

 _‘Please be okay…’_ you thought desperately, not seeing any signs of your friends.

The giant rock seemed to stop growing finally, and suddenly began moving, its rocky base dragging along the ground. It was moving incredibly fast for its size in the opposite direction of you and the Professor.

“Where is that thing going?” the Professor asked incredulously.

You shook your head gently.

“I have no idea. Lysandre never told me his full plans for this rock…”

 

Professor Sycamore looked like he was going to say something else, when suddenly, a glowing object in the distance caught both of your eyes.

You squinted, not wanting to get your hopes up too quickly, when you broke into a smile at recognizing the Steel-type Pokemon, with three inhabitants on its back.

“It’s them!” you said, feeling yourself begin to calm down slightly. “They’re alright!”

Professor Sycamore had a similar expression on his face, and waved wildly to the trio as they approached where the two of you were perched. You could now begin to make out the faces of Mairin, Serena, and Steven, all apparently in good condition.

 

The three trainers landed shortly, and disembarked the Metagross.

“f/n!” Serena yelled, and ran toward where you sat on the ground. She knelt beside you, staring at you with wide eyes for a moment before pulling you in for a gentle hug.

“I’m so glad you’re alright,” she said softly, and you hugged her back. Serena was like a little sister to you, and the two of you had crossed paths often on her journey with Ash through the Kalos League.

“You too, Serena,” you said warmly, and she released you from her grip, a big smile on her face.

 

“We need a plan of action.”

The two of you turned to Steven, who was dusting off his dress shirt and pants. He stood up tall.

“We can take one of the aircrafts located in the back of the lab. They weren’t damaged by that giant rock thing.”

The conversation now turned serious once more, as everyone realized the worst battle was yet to come. Professor Sycamore glanced at you, and you nodded shortly.

“Alright,” the Kalosian man agreed. “Let’s go.”

 

***

 

“How are you feeling?”

Professor Sycamore stared at you concern as the two of you sat in the aircraft. The two of you were alone for a moment, as the others were on the upper level analyzing the giant rock.

You finished taking a swallow of water from the supplies you had found in the carrier before smiling faintly.

“Much better,” you said, and you meant it. Your head no longer had a splitting migraine and strength was returning to all your muscles.

The Professor seemed unconvinced however, noticing the paleness in your complexion and the general thinness of your body. You noticed this look, and rested a reassuring hand on his, locking eyes with a sympathetic gaze.

“Augustine, I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me.”

 

This didn’t seem to be the right response, however, because the Kalosian man turned his head away quickly, now staring at the ground, eyebrows furrowed.

“Augustine…?” you said quietly, unsure of what you said wrong.

He remained silent for a moment, trying to regain his composure it seemed. When he spoke, he still didn’t not lift his gaze.

“I’ve done nothing _but_ worry about you the entire time you were gone,” he said softly, causing your breath to halt in your throat. How could you been so thoughtless? Of course, you had missed the Professor and his lab more than anything while you were under Team Flare’s control, but at least you knew he was safe and alright. How had he felt that entire month you were gone, not knowing where you were and if you were even alive?

“Augustine,” you said softly again, giving his hand a small squeeze, “I’m so sorry, I didn’t think–”

“Shhh.” The Professor shook his head, and you were surprised as he now took your hand in his, caressing it gently. He smiled faintly, then lifted his pale blue eyes to meet your e/c ones.

“Now I know never to take you for granted, mon amour.”

 

Your eyes grew wide as he slowly raised your hand to his lips and planted a chaste kiss on the the back of it. You could feel your cheeks heat up, and you were sure a bright band of pink was now spreading across your face.

 _‘Mon amour?’_ your eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Did he mean that literally, or was it just one of his French expressions he used? Had he called you that before?

The Professor now lowered your hand, but continued holding it in his own. He was silent for a while, and you waited on baited breath as he ran his thumb tenderly over your hand.

So much had happened since that day about a month ago, when he asked you to dinner. You could remember well just how ecstatic you were over his invitation. Did he still feel the same way about you?

“f/n.”

Your thoughts were interrupted by the sound of his voice, barely over a whisper. You stared at him intently as he continued staring at your hand.

“There’s something I need to tell you…”

 

“Professor, come quick!”

The Kalosian man’s words were abruptly cut off by the sound of Serena’s voice from the upper level. He frowned, and sat still for a second before shaking his hand and getting to his feet, helping you stand as well.

The two of you left the supply room and moved toward the stairs. Professor Sycamore went first, and offered his hand to help you up, but you shook your head.

“I’m fine, Augustine.”

He looked doubtful, but you shot him a look that told him to let you go, which he reluctantly did.

You made your way up, slower than usual, but without much trouble. Your mind, however, was in worse shape as you tried in frustration to think of what the Professor was going to say to you.

 

Unfortunately, you didn’t have time to worry, because Serena came rushing to meet you at the top of the stairs, a look of great distress on her face.

“What is it, Serena?” Professor Sycamore asked.

The girl’s lip trembled slightly and the two of you looked at her with rapt attention.

“The giant rock is looking for a stronger energy source…that’s where it’s going. It’s moving toward the sundial in Anistar City,” she said quietly, her voice barely audible.

“And what if it reaches there?” you said, already worried about the answer.

“If it collides with the sundial…” Sererna took a deep breath, “Then the entire world will be destroyed!”

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so I just finished Pokemon X, the video game, then binge watched most of Pokemon XY/XYZ and I'm SUPER OBSESSED. Especially with Sycamore, so here's a really intense, action-packed fanfic with my favorite Pokemon Professor! It will be MUCH shorter than my usual stories too. Less than six parts.
> 
> I do not own any part of Pokemon XY: The Series, nor any of the characters. Only the story is original.


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